The Paid Companion

A thoroughly enjoyable story full of intrigue, lots of humor and of course unexpected romance. I hope you adore Elenora as much as I did. Of course a lovely heroine needs a worthy hero and Arthur, Earl of St. Merryn fills that role perfectly. Join them on their crime solving adventure and be entertained until the end…

I like the story, but it seemed a bit him at times. Eccentric peer his hires a woman to act as his fiance so be can freely investigate his uncle's murder, without being trapped by some young thing looking for a wealthy husband with a title. He gets a LOT more than he expected, much to his delight. Story describes the relationship that develops between himself and his 'fiance' as they start to work together to solve the case he's trying to solve, and dangerous people start to stalk them. The story

Mystery, murder and romance! The murder mystery and romance in this book were incredibly well-executed, blending seamlessly to create a captivating read. The plot was not predictable but well done. I liked Arthur and Eleanor, their names suited them as they were unique. They solved a complicated mystery and they kept me interested throughout the book.

(Audio Version Review) I enjoyed this one very much, especially after the rather unsatisfying What the Duke Desires by Serena James, fizzled out at the end. This book has a great murder mystery with a fantastic ending that made the whole thing worth my time. Like all the HR's I read, this was a somewhat typical period piece: Destitute lady is approached by a wealthy Earl to act as his fiance, while he does a little crime solving. (Why he needs a fiance in the first place isn't really explained, but get one he does.) She is of the independent and brilliant stripe, and it isn't long before she is hip deep in the case as his partner. Together they follow a series of well thought out clues, coming closer and closer to the killer. The H and h definitely steal the show, with a few sweet side characters to lend a hand along the way. Add a nasty butler, and a Bow Street runner, and you get a great ensemble supporting cast. Of course they fall in love, that's to be expected. And there are some lusty, if abbreviated love scenes. What isn't expected is how creepy the killer is, and how fun the crime solving plot becomes. The ending is positively Gothic and I loved it! Bianca Amato is great, as usual, but with her usual overly melodramatic reading giving the Gothic imagery a bit more bite, I felt like I was there! I could smell the dripping crypt in this one! Highly Recommended!

The Paid Companion is one of my favorite Amanda Quick novels, and I am a longtime fan of Ms. Krentz's novels. While awaiting her next 2023 release, I picked up this story again, and sank into this delightful read. The Paid Companion hits all the benchmarks of a well crafted period romance, the pacing is on the mark, the settings well crafted, the gentle spoofing of birth of this genre with the secondary characters choice of vocations, references to the sensibilities of the time and the delightful development of relationship between our heroine and hero against the puzzle of a mystery they must solve together, makes this an enjoyable read that I will return to again.

As always Amanda Quick writes a good story. And therein lies my problem. I was expecting one of her GREAT stories. This one has almost all that I was looking for. The heroine is educated, organized, and nearly fearless. After losing her inheritance because of a sleazy stepfather, she then loses her fiance when he finds out that she is destitute. After insuring that the workers on her former estate were taken care of, she journeys to London and finds a position as a paid companion in the home of an eccentric woman. When this situation ends, she applies to an agency for other work. Enter the hero. The Earl of St. Merryn is deemed an eccentric by all who know him. He has few close friends and is judged as being extremely cold by most of the Ton. After being jilted by his former fiance, he applies to an agency for a paid companion. This companion is to pretend to be his fiance and provide a distraction as he searches for the killer of his uncle. Elenora proves to be a distraction to him as well as to London society. They quickly become a team in the search for the murderer. ************SPOILER ALERT**********I was engrossed and loving most of the book. The villain was evil personified. However, the ending of the book was spoiled for me when it became a carbon copy of most of the (bad) 1930s to 1950s science fiction movies that I have seen. The death ray machine was too much for me. I actually started to laugh at that point and I am sure that was not the reaction the author wanted.**********END SPOILER************ Quick will always remain a favorite of mine, no matter what name she writes under. But, although this book is good, most of her work is much better. Sexual situations may offend some readers

These characters are wonderfully vivid and exciting. Quick’s story is different, lovely and charged with competent dialogue. I loved this and would like to read more like it.

Enjoyable but pace stutters at times. I found myself putting the book down more often than normal for JAK novels. Enjoyed the characters and action but....

I really love the relationship between Arthur and Elenora. They just seem right for each other. I also like the epilogue. I always want to know what happens next

As usual Amanda Quick did it again!! This is an execellent book. There was not one page that I regreted reading. Do it yourself and you will know that i am right.

I !missed this book so was glad I could obtain a copy I enjoye.d reading it

This book lacks the confident flow of some of Amanda Quick's other books, but it’s still a great romance-mystery. It has strong minded leads, fun banter and great side characters. When Eleanora is left destitute she hires herself out as a paid companion. The Earl of St Merryn Arthur is looking for a paid companion with backbone when he comes across Eleanora. He hires her to be a fake fiancé so that he can investigate a murder. This is absolutely a fun read and well written but the lead characters feel less developed than in other Quick books. At the start Eleanora is like her actress grandmother but soon she turns into a typical Amanda Quick heroine who is bossy, brave and intelligent. The Earl also quickly becomes a standard Quick hero - dry witted, commanding and passionate. It may be a well used template but it’s still enjoyable. But to read this author at her very best I suggest ‘Ravished’, ‘Mistress’ or ‘Desire’.

翻訳の微妙な感じが良かったです